Whicker: Derwin James brings pedigree to Chargers’ thriving defense

Share this:

Florida State’s Derwin James, center, celebrates with fans after being selected by the Chargers with the 17th pick of the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 05: Florida State defensive back Derwin James (DB57) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 5, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

ORLANDO, FL – SEPTEMBER 05: Derwin James #3 of the Florida State Seminoles reacts after a play against the Mississippi Rebels during the Camping World Kickoff at Camping World Stadium on September 5, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Sound

The gallery will resume inseconds

ATLANTA, GA – SEPTEMBER 02: Derwin James #3 of the Florida State Seminoles reacts after a play against the Alabama Crimson Tide during their game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

TALLAHASSEE, FL – OCTOBER 31: Defensive back Derwin James #3 of the Florida State Seminoles attempts to sack quarterback Eric Dungey #2 of the Syracuse Orange on October 31, 2015 at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, FL. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)

ORLANDO, FL – SEPTEMBER 05: Evan Engram #17 of the Mississippi Rebels is tackled by Ro’Derrick Hoskins #18 and Derwin James #3 of the Florida State Seminoles in the first half during the Camping World Kickoff at Camping World Stadium on September 5, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 05: Florida State defensive back Derwin James (DB57) goes up to catch a pass during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 5, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

ATLANTA, GA – SEPTEMBER 02: Derwin James #3 of the Florida State Seminoles reacts after a play against the Alabama Crimson Tide during their game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Florida State’s Derwin James poses on the red carpet before the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 26, 2018, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

NFL Draft prospect Florida State’s Derwin James celebrates with participants after a touchdown during a Play Football Clinic Wednesday, April 25, 2018, in Arlington, Texas. The 2018 NFL Draft begins Thursday, April 26, 2018, at AT&T Stadium. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Commissioner Roger Goodell, left, presents Florida State’s Derwin James with his Los Angeles Chargers jersey during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 26, 2018, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Florida State’s Derwin James, center, celebrates with fans after being selected by the Chargers with the 17th pick of the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)

COSTA MESA — The Chargers took Derwin James with the 17th pick on Thursday. They couldn’t believe he was there.

Of course, a lot of people still can’t believe the Chargers are here.

James was the fifth-ranked player on Pro Football Focus’ board and the sixth on the list of NFL Network evaluator Mike Mayock.

Instead, he was the seventh defensive player to escape the Green Room.

That is not what they meant when they said James could cover some ground.

He is a 6-foot-2, 215-pound safety, an animated fellow who was billed as the next Florida State defensive superhero and did nothing to betray that.

Chargers coach Anthony Lynn was asked his reaction when James came into his sights.

“Joy,” he said. “This is a run-and-hit safety. He’s going to help cut down on those explosive runs.”

James is supposed to be the ideal safety for these defensively-taxed times, a guy who could play linebacker in a pinch and had 5-1/2 tackles for loss last season.

He is from the football incubator of Haines City, Fla., near the boyhood home of new Chargers center Mike Pouncey. Ray Lewis, headed for the Hall of Fame this summer, is from nearby Lakeland.

He has two cousins in the NFL: Tampa Bay running back Mike James and Pittsburgh linebacker Vince Williams. A third, running back Karlos Williams, played or Buffalo but is coming off a drug suspension.

James was such a hefty infant that his mother nicknamed him “Pooh Bear,” which stuck. The story goes that James was strong enough to push a manual lawn mower when he was five years old. And while bicycling, he was hit three times by cars, without harm.

He was charismatic enough to get elected homecoming king at Haines City High, a school that was 70 percent Latino at the time. And he refused to transfer from Haines City during a stressful coaching change.

Although the world came to his door, James was stuck on Florida State. Jimbo Fisher, the FSU coach until he went to Texas A&M last fall, saw James as a ninth-grader and offered him a scholarship.

When the Seminoles beat Auburn in the 2014 Rose Bowl to win the BCS national title, James and his stepfather Chad both got spear tattoos on their shoulders.

James tore a meniscus against Charleston Southern and missed most of 2016. His 2017 was flattened by injuries. Florida State wound up in the Independence Bowl, a game James skipped. One of his vocal witnesses is Jalen Ramsey, the FSU cornerback whom Jacksonville took with the No. 3 pick two years ago. Another is Dalvin Cook, Minnesota’s home run-hitting running back.

So the pedigree and the personality were there, along with a sizzling NFL combine.

But there’s always a draft-night drifter. It’s difficult to reconstruct the first round and figure out why it was James.

Four of the first 10 picks were quarterbacks. Oakland dealt a wild card when it shunned defense and took UCLA tackle Kolton Miller at 15.

New Orleans vaulted 13 places to get Green Bay’s pick, most presumed to take Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson. Instead, the Saints took pass rusher Marcus Davenport of Texas-San Antonio.

Then Buffalo traded up to 16, just ahead of the Chargers, and took 19-year-old Virginia Tech linebacker Tremaine Edmunds instead of James.

Miami, thought to be quarterback-hunting at 11, watched Arizona trade up to 10 and take Josh Rosen. The Dolphins pivoted to Alabama corner/safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who, like James, thought he might go higher.

And San Francisco, at nine, decided it was more important to shield QB Jimmy Garoppolo than to doctor its defense. Thus, Notre Dame tackle Mike McGlinchey.

Maybe the draft was just that deep. Listening to the laments of the spurned, there were enough chips on enough shoulders to feed a starving press box.

James wasn’t in a funk for long. He knew that late drafts equate better teammates. He’d already thought about Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram toppling quarterbacks, and his friend Casey Hayward silencing receivers. The Chargers’ defense led the NFL in points allowed and defending the red zone.

It ranked fourth in yards allowed per pass, and sixth in sacks per game.

James also had worked out near John Wayne Airport during the winter, which is in the same zip code as Chargers headquarters.

When his phone finally rang, the Chargers were on the line. “They told me they were going to the Super Bowl,” James said. “I said, I’m ready.”

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.